Beneath the Great Disaster
by TheDragonEye
Summary: Erik causes the fire, Christine leaves him. What did he do then? R&R, rated for later chapters, language.
1. the fire

**Authors note: Alright, now we all see Erik leave his home. But, where did he go? What happened to him? My thoughts exactly. One of my first fanficts so I am open to all constructive critism**

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**POV:**

_No . . . how could this happen? Why did this?_

_Why?_

_All these years, training her voice to harmonize with mine and working up her trust in the angel of music. But that is not what keeps tearing me apart, as I now watch her go, I realize something. I wish now that it did not happen as she is with her lover. She loves me. But not so much as to stay with this poor pitiful creature which god does not even consider calling his own creation. I was a mistake. He knew that, which is why he shuns me, mocks me, and now this. Curses be to the heavens in which I long since turned my back on. Oh yes, Christine had managed to get close to pulling me back to the light, but she failed and shattered me, shattered me like the glass at my feet from the mirrors I have now broken. My pitiful wail echoes throughout the now empty place I used to call my home for the past years. It makes my heart shatter what hope I might have had less as my ending cry of music echoes with more noises back into my sharpened ears._

_They are coming._

_They will find me._

_I will die._

_

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_

Ending note: Yes I realize it is short, don't worry it gets better


	2. To run is to live

_What has become of me? Torn by the one I had believed I could trust only to be betrayed. My darkened eyes pierced past the candles that illuminated the surroundings of my world of night. My kingdom of music. _

"_Perhaps I do deserve to die. It will be more than I deserve, to be beaten or hung by this mob of people who comes for me now." I murmured to myself, an insane look in my eyes as a smirk slowly tugged its way on to his deformed face. The shattered mirrors could still show of what I had become. I took a few steps forward almost to meet them myself, an invitation for that dark sleep in which I knew I would descend into hell. But then I stopped._

_I had lost everything, was there even a will to live anymore? Not that I could think of, still something was drawing me back to the darkened passageway in which I could escape. To flee back down the catacombs, to run from the mob, to live! I looked to the lake as the noise grew louder, someone was leading them here. Now. Now I felt even more betrayed. Madame Giry, Daroga, Christine. Have you had your fun? Have you all found this to be a cruel form of entertainment? Are you seething beneath your skin that I am still alive? All these years of helping me, had you finally given up on me?_

_With a swift turn on my heel I turned back to that tunnel, the glass of the mirrors crunching underneath my feet as I finally stepped into the dark stoned freedom path. The stale air met me almost immediately, and a hand went to my chest as the other pushed the red curtain to seal me back into darkness. _

_Darkness. I had always thrived there and now I had returned to seek its comforting shade once again. To hide me from those who wish to harm me, and to hide from myself. Running, I fled from the entrance that would lead me back into my home and the mob who would kill me. As the catacombs absorbed me my thoughts came back to what had happened. Above me I knew the building I had built, which had protected me through all the years was burning. Did I love that building more than Christine? Apparently not, for it was by my own blindness and folly that it was slowly charring above me. _

_My mind thought up the twisted images of the building slowly being licked by the flames, and the people who might be dead or slowly burning with it. Even the most cruel and insane mind such as my own felt a twinge of remorse before it was gone. They were the ones who shunned me; perhaps they deserved death as well. Then again, my hand went back to my chest, perhaps we all deserved death. A cold feeling that would cover the body, and consume all the feelings of hurt, love, everything. Would it really be so awful as everyone would think? I doubt it not. But the way I died would be painful, you could just feel it. _

_With a heavy sigh I continued my descent into darkness, you always had to sink lower before you could go any higher. My eyes were used to that darkness, but my free hand trailed along the wall incase I should loose my path. I knew I was always given poor health, but the air in this passage was doing no good for my lungs. They were aching as much as my heart between them. Raoul, that bastard of a vicomnte. You know nothing on how fragile Christine is, she needs not a boy, nor a petty summer love. You know, no matter how far you run, Christine will always remember me. I have scarred her heart, but she has shattered mine; that guilt will live with her. No counseling can get her through that. Who knows, perhaps Christine will come back and see the ruins of my home, after everyone presumes me dead._

_At last the end of the tunnel comes into view as I continue to muse over such matters. I can hear the noise and shouts of people; even where I come out the chaos will still be there. Hopefully I will be able to slip away unnoticed; I have thus far so it should not be hard. Carefully I push my way out of the tunnel, even where I am, by the river Seine I can hear it. The roar of flames, the rush of cars as the men who battle the fire desperately try to put it out. _

_I look up as another noise adds to the music of chaos; a storm is coming, which makes another smirk on my face grows. A welcome relief to my already clouded mind, that the rain water might be able to save at least the foundation of that once marvelous building. Sure enough as I make it off the rocky path and seal the entrance once more the downpour begins. Ironic, actually to the storm in my mind, and the savage wreckage to my heart as a tempest tossed boat abandoned by the almighty one above to the rocks on shore._

_The rain begins to fall heavily, and I hunch over against the bone chilling rain. I do not even have my black cape or even a mask. I have left everything to save my pitiful life. Everything behind . . . which made my thoughts turn to my Siamese cat, perhaps Ayesha was the only one who cared for me. Now what was her fate, she could have made it out, she was a wise cat after all._

_With all these thoughts that obscured my mind as I walked on the muddy road, I never realized I had no place to go. I had no plan, like I had said. I left everything. _

_This made me unaware of my surroundings, in the gloom of the dark and wet night, I could hear the yells of people about the action spiraling not too far behind me, probably a mile or so. I turned my head to look, I could see the smoke, the black smoke spiraling up to the heavens. I had polluted the heavens and destroyed my work all in one night. More rush and noises met my ears. Probably from the carriages and horses rushing to help. I never would have expected that what I heard was happening behind me, and that when I turned it happened._

_It hit me. It hit me hard._


	3. To give up is to die

POV:

_I could hear the horses panicking as the one to the right of the carriage suddenly hit me at a full trot. I heard something on me give a sickening crack before a jolt of pain flew up my arm. I had barely anytime to register it as the horse to the left of the harness hit me when I was suddenly forced over into its path by the first horse. _

_Now carriage horses need to be strong, especially when they are pulling barrels of water from the Seine River. Horses with broad shoulder span, tough and well cared for hooves with carefully mended shoes. Their forelegs could not be thin, needing the broad muscles for going up or down hills. Specific training and well broken horses of this status also need to be able to run, although their main use is for riding short distances fast. Well-breed horses such as these come from descendants of the warhorses used in medieval times. Powerful and head-strong runners are what hit me, sending me spiraling far off the road and causing my descent into a dark oblivion bellow me._

_I had not even resisted, my body had been motionless until the first horse hit me, then the second. Their abilities call for running and obeying the slaying orders of a man with their reins in his hands. It had been his fault, not theirs. But either was I was thrown by the impact. The sloped side hill leading down to the Seine River, which eventually empties out into the English Channel, carried my unresisting and shell-shocked body downward. I could admit no noise through the trauma I had just underwent, I could fell the damp grass thinning out underneath me to give way to stone and steel. _

_My genius had abandoned me in that one moment as did my common sense to try and stop myself from plunging down into the bleakness of the dark yawning that was that fated river. Whoever had hit me either did not care or figured duty came above a sin that no one else had seen besides the one he had hit. _

_It was then my mind came back to me, what at a time too. I had no use for that genius as I felt the weightlessness for that split second as the ground disappeared underneath me and I was thrust into the deepening darkness. The ice cold water pushed its first impact straight through my chest as if there was a hole there. Whether the hole was from a wound made by the horses or by the empty fragments of a fragile heart once there, the water went through mercilessly. I could feel every ache and pain then. The water enhancing the pain up my arm which must be broken or dislocated and I felt cuts I had not realized were there and must have been the cause of the stricken blow from the brawn of the horses. _

_Soon I was submerged in the black waters, a current sweeping me further down; spiraling it took me as if I was nothing more than a rag doll. A dull aching of warning hit my lungs as the stale air of my last breath soon was deflated. My eyes could see nothing, and my only working arm was trying desperately to heave me to the surface. I could not tell if I was right side up or upside down. The torrents of the water increased in pressure and I knew I was plummeting deeper into the river as it continued along. Unheeding to the poor soul which was mine, drowning in its depths._

_The dull ache in my lungs became an inferno pain as the air was exhausted. In desperation I frantically swam, I was a good swimmer, but the river was too strong. My lips parted and I inhaled the water. I felt myself give way to the darkness just after the feeling of the bone-chilling water entering my lungs._

_My loss of consciousness was inevitable as the river swept me along the underwater current. I thought it was the end of me, that god had finally lost interest in watching me suffer. But I would soon realize that god had different plans for me, and that suffering was all I could handle for now. _


	4. Alive?

**A/N- Well . . . chapter four, and well it hasn't been completely reassuring, so I do not know if I should continue with this or give up on it. Some more reviews would be thoughtful, just tell me if this isn't working or if I should continue. I also realize that the chapters have been short so I am working on the length of them. **

**Thank you to Katherine Silverhair for catching me on those mistakes in chapter 2.**

**Finally, this chapter is out of Erik's point of view due to what happened in the last chapter, I will probably not go back to his point of view. Thank you**

**T.D.E.**

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"Darius, I feel . . . I feel like I did not do all I could tonight." 

A voice called softly from the back of a carriage as it slowly made its way out of the chaotic streets in central Paris. A dark set of eyes watched sadly as a column of smoke rose from beyond some buildings as they passed. Nadir was this man's name or the Persian as he was also known as. His voice was barely heard by his faithful servant Darius as the man steered the carriage towards Nadir's flat. The noise of the horses as they made their way through the rain sodden streets, the endless noise due to the fire that was rampaging, and the soft tone of the man could have easily been missed.

"Why do you believe that so? None of what happened was your fault." The man steering the carriage called back. Darius was always the one to help Nadir, the man had always confided with him. Everything that had happened that night was already spilled out. When Nadir had led Raoul De Changy down into the catacombs of the Opera house to rescue Christine Daae, the aftermath, the fire; everything seemed to be the daroga's fault.

A sullen, heavy sigh was his reply. Nadir wished he could shake off the sense of guilt, he had gone back to find Erik only to find himself too late. But, the mob had not had Erik in their possession, although it was easily said that they were the ones to cause Erik to flee. Where was that man now? Nadir knew he would go back to his home eventually, but for now there could be no cause to arouse suspicion. So, with all reluctance, Nadir had left the opera house to return to his own home.

A few moments passed in silence, no more talk of what was already believed. Erik was gone there would be no way to track him down. It was a sort of irony, Nadir had never truly thought of Erik as a friend until now. Perhaps he had always thought of them as an odd acquaintance, in which they would keep one another company. Or else perhaps Nadir had always been around Erik was because Erik had a life debt to the Persian. Either way it did not matter. Erik was considered a friend to him, and now he was gone.

"He'll be alright though, he is Erik after all."

Those few words seemed to put a ease on the man's conscience, Erik was a strong, stubborn man. He would not die without a fight, and just because the Persian knew he was heart broken, Erik would get over it. He was almost positive of it. Nadir looked out the window at the passing nature, a blur by the rain and the window. He turned and looked back a head. The more he thought about Erik and that he was alright, the more he convinced himself.

_Erik was alright. Erik is strong. Erik is probably somewhere safe._

It was like a chant to his mind. Repeating this to himself silently was sure to make it probable. You never know how much you truly care about someone until they are gone, and Nadir discovered this himself.

It was a tranquil ride for the next few minutes until the carriage pulled to a stop, and he heard Darius climbing out of the driver's seat. Nadir felt the carriage shake as Darius did so. Only a few seconds later, the door to the carriage opened and Darius' headed popped through the opening.

"Come, quickly, there is a poor chap lying face down at the riverbank!"

Nadir frowned, and almost immediately was out of the sheltering carriage, following faithful Darius off the road who was pointing at a shadowed figure that was indeed face down by the river bank. It was almost difficult to tell it was human by the distance as the two men hurried over. As they approached it was easier to tell. It was a man, drowned by the looks of it. He wasn't moving, and he was still half in the river. Some of the unsorted rocks on the side had managed to snag hold of the man's ruined shirt.

Nadir slowly knelt down, murmuring a prayer to Allah as he laid a hand on the back of the man. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Poor man." He murmured softly, as he moved his other hand under the ice cold body. With some help from Darius they succeeded in turning the body over. Nadir paled, even in the gloom of this night it would have been impossible for him not to recognize who was laying death-like still in front of him on the soaked Earth.

"Erik . . ."

Darius looked from Nadir to the man Erik on the ground; he put his hand to the man's neck searching for a pulse. Erik was in awful state as anyone would be. His face as white as death, his lips blue, his body unmoving under sodden, heavy clothes, and his eyes closed. His hair was pressed to his forehead, clinging to his face. Even his marred cheek could not even compare with the rest of the drowned conditions he was in.

"He is as cold as ice, no pulse." Darius looked to Nadir. "He is dead sir,"

"I refuse to believe that!" The Persian man snapped the tone of his voice he could not help. This was Erik! And he refused to let this man die after saving his life twice in Persia.

"He is dead. Even you cannot bring the dead back to life." Darius replied unusually calm during this entire calamitous.

Nadir shook his head once more and shrugged off his cloak, wrapping it around the seemingly life-less Erik. "He needs heat, and a doctor. Hypothermia. It can render you into a death like state or eventually cause death if not taken care of." He retorted, he had no time for this. There was no telling how long Erik had been out here, or for how long he had been in the Seine River.

Once more with the help of Darius they managed to get Erik untangled from the rocks and up into the carriage. "I'll be damned if I let you die, so stay alive." Nadir muttered to the unmoving Erik as he removed Erik's ruined shirt before replacing the cloak around him.

Nadir climbed into the back with Erik as Darius took the driver's seat once more. "We won't have the money for a doctor, especially with the prices due to the people injured in the fire at the Opera house. You know that!" he called as he pushed the horses off again. "Much less we won't have enough to keep them quiet about the man." He added. These words brought down Nadir's hope once more and he murmured another prayer.

"Turn around, go the other way. There are others who owe me a debt, and now they can repay me. Whether or not they will agree to this I do not know. But it is our only chance." The Persian replied and he felt the sharp turn as they turned around and started back for another path.

"Come on Erik, stay alive at least until we get help. No, if you die I will never forgive you." He muttered as he tried to bring some heat to Erik in the drafty carriage. He looked to the window, "You owe me your lives, it is best not to deny me now." He murmured into the nothingness of the bleak storm.

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**Ending note:**

**Please Read and Review, I hate not knowing if I should bother to continue.**

**Thank you**

**The Dragon Eye **


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